Why did you leave your last job? What was the new challenge that made it all worthwhile? In hindsight, how have your expectations compared to the actual reality of the situation? I’ve had a lot of people within my inner circle make some significant, and at times unexpected changes in their lives lately. And when I want to better understand their true motive for change I always ask them the same question. This single question will also give you an insight as to what surprises might still lie ahead.

Question; Are you moving (running) from or toward something?

People change jobs, careers & companies for many reasons, including starting their own businesses or enterprises. If you’re changing from one company to another, even within the same industry, studies show that it can take a top performer up to 18 months to get back to the same level of productivity & performance within a new environment. Are you prepared to cope with that?

Personally, I can share from experience that it typically used to take me 5 weeks just before I no longer felt “lost”. There’s something about that 5 week mark where things just seem to “click in”. Even then, depending on the company culture, my new colleagues, clients & business products / solutions, the time until I was back to 100% or better varied. So whether you’re an employee or employer, take these circumstances into consideration the next time you decide to change environments or recruit that star-performer.

In the case of my inner circle, they have either changed due to “life choices” (i.e.mid-life crisis radical change independent of age) or they’ve just become fed-up with their current environment. Most of the surprises & longest ramp-up times come when someone is moving from a corporate culture to a start-up or entrepreneurial venture. In an earlier post this week, “Avoid Costly Hiring Mistakes“, I pointed out that there is no guarantee a corporate star will perform the same magic for an entrepreneurial venture! The resources, mindset, sense or urgency, etc.. are completely different!

In what concerns entrepreneurial ventures, in absolute terms they have more “con’s” than “pro’s”. However, once you factor in your own preferences & reasons for change you might find the “emotional weight” of the pro’s out-weighing the significant number of con’s. The corporate world, for all of it’s draw-backs, still provides the most security, consistency & predictability. Then again, it’s just a matter of “why” you’re making your move.

Carefully weigh out the “pro’s & con’s” of your next professional environment. And as with anything else in life, ask yourself “why am I making this change“. If you’re in doubt & filled with mixed emotions, and you come to the conclusion that you’re moving (running) from instead of to something, then you should have a serious rethink to assess what you’re really getting yourself into.

DISCLAIMER:

(1) The material on this site in no way represents the opinions, views, policies or anything else to do with my past, present or future employers or clients. All mistakes are mine.

(2) Facts, names, examples and other details are altered in an effort to guarantee confidential and proprietary information. However, I will do my utmost to ensure that the core message will always be within the integrity of the example itself.